Julie arrived at the set for her photoshoot early on Monday morning. She would be doing the shoot for a perfume that was part of the R'Mandy brand. She was ushered into hair and makeup, where they crimped her hair and then twisted it and fixed it with hair combs in the back. Her makeup was kept simple and natural, but with a dark red lipstick. Then they sent her to wardrobe where they dressed her in a slinky floor length party dress.

When they began the shoot, Julie was feeling energetic. They got through the first hour without any issues. She posed with a bottle of the perfume, and acted as though she were spraying it on her skin. At that moment, she pretended as though it were the most decadent thing in the world. In truth, Julie thought the gem-shaped bottle was a bit tacky, and that the perfume it held smelled like cheap soap, but they were paying her a hefty sum for the work, so she faked her way through it.

The photographer got the shots he wanted. They switched dresses and put her hair into a ponytail for the next set of shots. Around that time, Julie noticed that she had a small headache. Nothing major. She figured it was probably from not sleeping well the night before. She shook it off and continued on.

By the time they got to the third outfit, Julie accepted that something was wrong. Her throat had started to become scratchy, and she was feeling more pressure in her forehead. They broke for lunch. She ate quite a bit less than she would normally, and sat with her hands propping up her head; looking down at the floor made the pain in her head worse.

"Julie-san, are you okay?"

She looked up at the photographer and nodded.

"I'm okay. I'm just feeling really tired."

He waved over an assistant with a bottle of water and handed it to her. "Take a few minutes, get a drink, and we'll go again, okay?"

Julie smiled and nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

She drank half of the bottle, but found that she didn't feel much better. When it was time to go, though, she took a breath and put on her model face. They shot for two more hours, and no one would have guessed that she was feeling off.

By the time she got back to her hotel room that night, she was exhausted. She ate half of what she normally would for dinner, took a quick shower, and then lay down in bed.

Tuesday morning, Julie woke early. Her head and face hurt badly, and her throat was raw. She called a doctor and made an appointment to be seen that afternoon. She sat down at the end of the examination table on top of a sheet of paper. The doctor checked her throat with a flashlight and a tongue depressor. "You have a sinus infection."

He prescribed her antibiotics, an over-the-counter pain reliever, and a nasal spray and told her to get plenty of rest. Julie went back to her hotel and called Kuu.

"Hozu speaking."

"Hi, Kuu."

"Julie? Are you okay? You sound different."

"I have to cancel our date tomorrow. I'm sick."

Kuu set the script he had been reading aside. "Sick?"

"It's a sinus infection. I saw the doctor today and he gave me some antibiotics. I'll be okay, but I don't want you to catch it."

"Nope."

"... Nope?" She heard a click. "Kuu?" She blinked and stared at the phone. Did he just hang up on me?

She tried calling him again and got his answering machine. Her eyes welled with tears. Is he breaking up with me because I don't want to get him sick? What the hell!

She hung up her phone and laid down on her bed. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. So much for that future… Her chest felt tight. How could he do this to me? She spent the next half hour catastrophizing, until there was a knock at her door.

"Julie? Are you there?"

She sat up. "...Kuu?"

"Yeah. Can you let me in?"

She got out of bed and went to the door. When she opened it, he came in with a big brown shopping bag. "I said I didn't want to get you sick, Kuu!"

He set the bag on the counter in the kitchenette and turned to her with a serious look on his face. "I'll be fine. Go lay down."

"But, Kuu–"

He cupped her face with his hand and saw her red-rimmed eyes. "I'm sorry for hanging up on you. I just didn't want you to argue with me. I'm here to take care of you, so go rest."

She opened her mouth as if to argue, but then just shut it and nodded. She was really too tired to fight with him. She went over to the bed and climbed in and pulled the covers up to her chin.

Kuu set about getting ingredients out of his shopping bag to make miso soup. When Julie had told him she was sick, he immediately felt the need to dote on her. He wanted to prove that he would be the kind of guy that was there for her when she needed him.

Julie watched him work with a small smile on her face. She felt warm and fuzzy, and it wasn't from her fever. When he finished making the soup, he brought a bowl of it over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Julie sat up in bed against the pillows and took the bowl from him.

"Thank you."

He smiled. "It's what I do. Eat, you'll feel better."

Julie took a spoonful of the soup and swallowed it. It was warm and comforting as it coated her throat. When she finished, she handed the bowl back to him. "You're right, I do feel a little better. It was very good."

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I've felt worse. I took medicine earlier and it doesn't hurt as bad anymore."

Kuu pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. "You still feel a little warm." He got up from the bed and took the bowl back to the kitchenette. "When do you need to take your antibiotics?"

Julie looked over at the clock on the nightstand. "Now, actually. The bottle is in the refrigerator. Can you bring it to me?"

He nodded and brought her the bottle. She poured it out into the measuring cap and swallowed. She pulled a face. "Ugh. It's bitter."

Kuu took the bottle back from her and smiled. "Well, it's not candy." He put the bottle back in the refrigerator and then went back to the shopping bag that he had brought. He pulled out a chocolate bar and brought it to her. She smiled.

"You think of everything, don't you?"

He kissed her forehead. "I certainly try." He made his way toward the bathroom. "I'm going to make a warm bath for you. I'll be right back."

Julie smiled as she watched him go. An hour ago, she thought he was never going to speak to her again, and now here he was feeding her chocolate and drawing her a bath. She had never had a man care for her like that, and it meant everything to her.

Kuu came back a few minutes later. "It's all ready for you. Do you need any help?"

Julie shook her head. "I'll be okay. Thank you, Kuu."

She went to the bathroom, undressed, and slipped into the tub. She relaxed there for a few minutes and then washed up. When she finished, she poked her head out the door. "Kuu, can you bring me one of the big t-shirts in my dresser, and some panties?" She would have gone out nude, but she didn't want to tease him. Had she been in better health, however…

Kuu brought her the clothes and passed them through the crack for her. He went and sat on the bed and waited for her. When she came out, her hair was still wet. Kuu's mouth went dry as his eyes wandered up her bare legs. The t-shirt covered all the important bits, but God help me, those legs, he thought. He grabbed a chair from the table by the bed and dragged it over to the counter by the front door. "Sit, I'll blow dry your hair."

Julie shook her head. "You don't have to do that–"

"You can't lay down with wet hair when you're sick. Sit."

She sat down in the chair. "I'm just not allowed to argue at all tonight, am I?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "Nope." He plugged in her hair dryer that was on the counter. He turned it on and proceeded to blow dry her hair as carefully as possible. As he did so, the heat from the dryer and the feel of his fingers running through her hair and massaging her scalp made her eyes heavy.

When Kuu finished, he led her back over to the bed. He pushed her down gently against the pillows and pulled the covers back over her. "Take a nap. I'm gonna hang out over here and watch TV."

Julie had to admit that she was tired, and with a bellyful of warm miso soup and a couple of bites of a chocolate bar, she felt awfully comfortable. She closed her eyes and drifted off.

Kuu kept the TV turned down low. It was set on some talk show. The guest was Kotetsu Uesugi, a renowned martial artist and stunt master. Kuu had worked with Kotetsu on several movies. The man was a hardass, but he knew his stuff. Kotetsu Uesugi could only keep Kuu's attention for so long, however. His eyes eventually wandered back over to the bed where Julie was sleeping peacefully. She had rolled over onto her side to face him. Her cheeks were rosy pink from her fever, and her mouth was hanging open. Kuu stifled a chuckle. He doubted that she would be thrilled that he had seen her sleeping with her mouth hanging open and a small drool puddle forming on the pillow, but that was his favorite part of Julie. She was perfectly imperfect.

When Julie woke again, it was the middle of the night. The lights were turned off except for the bedside lamp, which was casting a soft amber glow on Kuu. He was sleeping sitting up in the chair by the bed.

Oh no, thought Julie. That can't be comfortable. "Kuu," she whispered.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around as though he had forgotten where he was. When his eyes settled on her, he smiled. "Hi."

She pulled the comforter down and patted the mattress. "Come to bed."

Kuu crawled into bed with her and cuddled her against his chest. They fell asleep like that.

The following morning, Julie woke to find Kuu already in the kitchen making breakfast. She sat up and stretched. Her head wasn't hurting, and she felt much more alive than she had the previous day. When Kuu turned away from the stove for a moment to get something off the bar behind him, he saw her and smiled.

"Good morning. How do you feel?"

Julie got up from the bed and came to sit at the bar. "Really good, actually. All thanks to you."

He set an omelet in front of her. "How many of these do you want?"

"Two more, and can you make some bacon to go with them?"

Kuu nodded and set to work. They ate their monstrously large breakfast sitting together at the bar. When they finished, Kuu grabbed Julie's medicine for her and got her a fruit juice chaser.

Julie smiled bashfully at him. "Thank you. It was really sweet of you to do this."

Kuu tucked her hair behind her ear. "Anything for you."

"...Anything?"

Kuu laughed. "You already have something in mind?" Julie started to unbutton his shirt, but he set his hand over hers. "Are you sure you're up for that? I'm not complaining, I just don't want you to pass out or something."

She pressed her lips to his. "I'm fine, Kuu."

He looked into Julie's eyes and smirked. "Well, if you're sure…" He kissed from underneath her ear down to her collar bone as she divested him of his shirt. She stood up from the bar stool, and Kuu pulled her oversized t-shirt off over her head. He ran his hands over her creamy white breasts as she unbuckled his belt. She pushed his pants down, and he kicked them the rest of the way off and pushed them away with his foot.

They made their way over to the bed, and Kuu laid her down on the mattress. When Julie wiggled out of her panties and tossed them away, Kuu chuckled. "Slow down! We don't have anywhere to be."

Julie sat up on the heels of her hands and pouted at him. "But if we start now, then we have the whole afternoon!"

Kuu crawled over her and ran his hand up the inside of her leg. When his fingers dipped between her folds, she let out a tiny gasp. "The whole afternoon, huh? You were just sick, and you're going to go the whole afternoon?"

Julie laid back on the mattress as he pleasured her. "Nn… Kuu, please…"

He circled her tiny pink bud with his fingertips. "Please what?"

Heat gathered between her legs as he touched her. "I want you, Kuu, please!"

Kuu kissed her deeply and then pulled away from her. He opened the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out the box of condoms. He put his hand inside.

"...Shit."

Julie sat up. "What?"

"We don't have any condoms."

She rubbed her thighs together impatiently. "What now?"

Kuu had never had sex without a condom. The AIDS pandemic had scared many people into safe sex, including himself. "I… I don't know."

Julie blushed. "I'm on the pill… if you want to keep going." She watched him consider that for a moment in silence. "I haven't done that with anyone else! Just you.," Julie added hastily. "You're… different." She was dying to tell him why he was different, but she was terrified that it would scare him away. The L word was serious business.

"You trust me that much?"

Julie swallowed and nodded. "Yeah."

He took in the flush that covered her neck and chest, the swell of her breasts, the tight slope of her belly, and her toned legs and fought a battle with himself. You'll be married to her by next year anyway, he thought. Fuck it.

He tossed the empty box down on the floor and climbed back over top of her. He kissed her forehead. "You're sure this is okay?"

She parted her legs in reply. He grabbed one of her thighs and thrust himself slowly inside of her. He grabbed a fistful of the sheets next to her head with his free hand. The sensation of her, the warmth, the way she fit around him, drove him to near madness. He managed to pull himself together after a moment, and he looked down into her eyes.

"I love you."

There it was. The L word. The four letter word that was akin to a deathbed confession in Japan. The word that couples the world over dreaded speaking until months into a relationship, and Kuu had spoken it into being only five days into theirs.

Julie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, relieved that he felt the same way. She rested her forehead against his. "I love you, too."

He sighed in relief and kissed the side of her neck as he made love to her. Julie wrapped her legs around his back. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he brought her closer to the edge.

"Kuu!"

Her back arched as she fell off the precipice. Kuu was also at his limit. He curled over her as he climaxed, and collapsed over her. He kissed her neck. "Are you okay?"

Julie felt like her body was made of jello. "That was amazing."

Kuu shivered as he withdrew from her and laid down next to her. "Still feel like you can go all afternoon?"

Julie rolled over and rested her head on his chest. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Kuu shook his head. "We're going to need room service, though. A lot of it."

They spent the rest of their afternoon doing nothing but eating and having sex. Finally, around 4:00, Kuu collapsed against the pillows. "Woman, you're going to kill me," he said, breathless.

Julie laughed and climbed down off of him to rest beside him again. "Isn't that how every man wants to go?"

He laughed. "If I had to pick a way to go out, watching the girl I love bounce on my cock is definitely the best way I could think of."

"Careful," she said, "If you keep talking dirty like that, I might do it again."

Kuu groaned and pulled a pillow over his face. "Please, no. I need at least a day to recover."

Julie giggled and rested her head on his chest. Then she paused."Kuu… did you mean what you said earlier?"

He pulled the pillow off of his face and put it back behind his head. "Julie, I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you."

"Are you sure?"

He chuckled. "Да, я уверен." Yeah, I'm sure.

She hid her face in his chest. "I still can't believe you learned Russian for me."

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I told you. Anything for you."

"...Anything?"

He set her hand down. "Julienna, we've been at it for hours. I'm going to dehydrate."

She laughed. "Not that. My mother and my sister are coming to stay for a little while. I want you to meet them."

Kuu looked down at her, incredulous. "You want me to meet your family?"

Julie sat up beside him. "If you don't want to, I understand. We haven't been together that long, and it's a really big step."

He sat up and shook his head. "No, it's not that. I would love to meet them. Anyone who is important to you is important to me."

Julie gave him a shy smile. "You mean it?"

He nodded. "Of course." He kissed her forehead. "I'm excited that you're as serious about us as I am." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just… sad that I don't have anyone to introduce you to."

Julie hugged him. "I'm sorry that I didn't get to meet them. But," she smiled, "They raised a really great guy, and must have been wonderful people."

He smiled. "They were. I think they would have liked you, too."

She kissed him, and he pushed her down on the mattress to kiss down her chest.

"I thought you were too tired?," she breathed.

He chuckled, and his warm breath tickled the skin on her belly. "You get one more, and then we're going out to dinner. Deal?"

"De– ah! Kuu!"